Manchester United F.C. Team – Live Scores 0 0 Perhaps the most famous soccer club name in the World, Manchester United remain the main rival to Real Madrid as the World’s most popular and richest club. United, or the Red Devils as they are known have had an eventful history that has seen them begin life as a team made up of railway workers in Manchester and suffer through the problems of the Munich air disaster. Finally, in the 1990s a period of sustained success began with the arrival of manager Sir Alex Ferguson, French striker Eric Cantona and a group of homegrown players. Manchester United play their home games at Old Trafford, a stadium with a capacity of 75,635 at the start of the 2014-15 season. Old Trafford has been the home of Manchester United since February 1909 when the ambitious group of local businessmen who had rescued the club from financial disaster decided Bank Street was too small to meet their needs. The club began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, playing their games at a series of fields and grounds around Manchester before finally arriving at Old Trafford.

For the majority of teh early years of their existence Newton Heath played in the Combination league in the north west of England. United then joined the Football Alliance, an early rival of the Football League that was merged into the more successful version after a short period of time. Winning their first Football League title in 1908, Manchester united went on to win the FA Cup the following year, a trophy they had won 11 times by the start of the 2014-15 season. Success eluded Manchester United after this time until the post Second World War years when Sir Matt Busby took control of the playing side of the club and was also made responsible for purchasing players. In the early 1950s Busby assembled the first great Manchester United squad, known in the press as the Busby Babes, winning the league championship for the first time in 1952 ans again in 1956. Busby lobbied hard to allow United to become the first English team to compete in the European Cup/Champions League in 1957.

The first example of a Manchester United team combining great players bought by the club and those who were schooled in soccer from a young age was created. However, on February 6th 1958 a plane carrying players, personnel and members of the press crashed during takeoff from an airfield in Munich killing 23, including eight players. Sir Matt Busby and a number of legendary players survived the Munich Air Disaster, including Bobby Charlton. Busby rebuilt the team through the 1960s and brought together legendary players Denis Law and George Best, Northern Irish international Best remains one of the top players to have ever played soccer. The team rebuilt by Busby eventually won the FA Cup and two league titles in 1965 and 1967, before becoming the first English team to win the European Cup in 1968. After the departure of Busby, Manchester united became FA Cup specialists under a succession of managers, until the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson in 1986. Ferguson managed the club until the close of the 2012-2013 season and became the most successful manager in the history of the club.

Bringing together some of the best players in the World and trusting in the youth program of the club, Ferguson began his winning run with the 1990 FA Cup and went on to win two Champions League titles, 13 of the 20 league championship won by the club and five of the 11 FA Cups the club has won. Manchester United are famous for wearing their red shirts with white short and black socks, the original colors worn by the club were the green and gold of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Over the years the club has grown rivalries with a number of teams, most notably cross city rivals Manchester City. The greatest rivalry in the history of Manchester united has been with Liverpool, which began with the two cities growing during the Industrial Revolution. Other teams classed as historic rivals include Leeds United and Arsenal, a rivalry which grew over the course of the 1990s during a long time feud between managers Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. You may also like...

Soccer Fans Kicking and Screaming About Takeover - Page 2 - latimes Soccer Fans Kicking and Screaming About Takeover May 19, 2005 |John Daniszewski | Times Staff Writer The team began life in 1878 as the Newton Heath Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Cricket and Football Club, run by a local railway works. When the club, which was formed by the dining room committee of the railway's wagon works, was threatened with bankruptcy in 1902, it was rescued by a wealthy local brewer, John Henry Davies, who gave it the name Manchester United, adopted its red-and-white colors, rebuilt its personnel and constructed the first stadium at Old Trafford, the site that would become known as the "Theater of Dreams." The playing field, the club's third, opened in 1910 to a defeat by Liverpool, but the team recovered and prospered, going through the cycle of calamities and rebirths for the next 95 years that has been its trademark. The worst moment, without doubt, was on Feb.

6, 1958, when the team, which had trail-blazed Britain's entry into the European Cup competition against the wishes of the country's football establishment, was nearly wiped out in a plane disaster in Munich, Germany, while trying to take off in a snowstorm. Eight of its players died. The tragedy worked its way into the heart of not only Manchester, where hundreds of thousands lined the streets in tribute, but Europe and the world as well. For The Record Los Angeles Times Saturday May 21, 2005 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 48 words Type of Material: Correction Manchester soccer team -- An article in Thursday's Section A about the reaction of fans in Manchester, Britain, to the takeover of their local football club by an American businessman said the team had won the "treble" of three championships in 1998. Manchester won the treble in 1999.

It was partly in remembrance of the crash victims that the club launched a remarkable comeback in the next decades, returning to win the European Cup in 1968, and becoming the only football club ever to win the treble in 1998: Premiership, FA Cup and European Cup champions all in one year. A stupendous collection of first-place trophies fills the glass cases along a whole wall of the museum. That history is what the fans here worry that Glazer does not understand. "Our instinct is that it is probably a bad idea," said Scott, 21, who did not want to give his last name because he works at the stadium, when asked about the purchase. "Buying a club on a big loan that needs to be paid back, that rankles most people. [America] is a different culture. He said his sons are avid Manchester United fans, but we're slightly suspicious. We haven't seen them around.... If he had bothered to show up here, he might have quashed a few rumors about how he works." Just outside Old Trafford is Red Star Sports.

Its proprietor, Angelo, who claims to be the oldest independent vendor of Manchester United memorabilia and souvenirs -- since 1952 -- said there is an attitude among the die-hard fans that the club should not belong to a country that does not love the game. "My personal opinion is that the reason why so many fans are upset is because he's American and they see Americans not giving a damn about football. If he was Irish or German or any European, they wouldn't kick up a foot. But people know Americans don't give two tosses about football.... Americans just see it as a game. It is not. It is a passion, a way of life." He said he would not take lightly the threats that some fans are making. "Those people mean it. We are the world's largest army, in footballing terms, the Red Army." For people to think that Glazer has the club, he said, "It's like their wife has been taken from them." Manchester United FC History, Players, Team, Information Manchester United FC History Manchester United F.C. is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester.

Common abbreviations include Man United, United and Man U., although few of the club's supporters still use 'Man U.' and many find it annoying. They were formed as Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878, as the works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot at Newton Heath, becoming Manchester United on 26 April 1902. Traditionally one of the larger and most-supported clubs in England, Manchester United, under manager Sir Alex Ferguson achieved a degree of dominance in domestic competitions in the 1990s unseen since the great Liverpool F.C. sides of the mid 1970s and early 1980s. This culminated in 1999, with the club winning an unprecedented treble of the English Premier League, FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. In 2004, Manchester United qualified for the group stage of the Champions League for the ninth successive year, breaking a record held by Norway's Rosenborg. Manchester United have been largely unable to transfer their domestic dominance to European competition; in fact qualifying for the European Cup final on only two occasions in their history.

Their last success in this competition was in 1999, when they came from behind in the last minutes of the UEFA Champions League final to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. Although their dominance in English football is considered by some to be over, they are still one of the best teams in British football, the only team who remain a viable threat to Chelsea F.C. in the current 2004-2005 season. In addition, the club are the most financially successful in England, due to their supporter base which reaches all around the world, even to Asia. Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath, formed by workers of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. They nearly went bankrupt in 1902 and were rescued and renamed as Manchester United. The earliest known film of Manchester United is the 2�0 victory at Burnley on 6 December 1902, filmed by Mitchell and Kenyon. United have had three successful eras, under J. Ernest Mangnall in the 1900s, in the 50s and 60s under Sir Matt Busby, and in the 90s to present under Sir Alex Ferguson.

They have won the FA Cup 11 times, the most of any team, and 15 league championships. They have also won the European Cup (now Champions League) twice. These trophies make them the second-most successful club ever in England, behind Liverpool F.C. who have a record 18 league titles, 4 European Cups and 6 FA Cups, although Manchester United have sustained their sucesses over far longer periods. The 1958 Manchester United team was nicknamed the "Busby Babes". On February 6, they were flying home from a European Cup match against Red Star Belgrade when the plane crashed on takeoff in a snow storm in Munich, Germany (see Munich air disaster). Eight team members were killed, and two players suffered career-ending injuries. Amongst the dead was Duncan Edwards, a 21-year-old who many believe was on his way to establishing himself as one of England's greatest players ever. A survivor, Bobby Charlton would help England to win the Football World Cup in 1966. 1999 was arguably United's best season, in which the Red Devils won the Premier League, The FA Cup (beating Newcastle United) and the Champions League.

The Champions League win was especially memorable, as United scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in the final. Early Years (1878-1902) Manchester United began life in 1878 as Newton Heath F.C., a team formed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway organisation. The club competed in railway competitions until 1889 when it joined the Football Alliance, a league below the Football League. When the Football League expanded in 1892, Newton Heath was elected to the First Division but suffered relegation to the Second Division after just two seasons. Newton Heath's only claim to success was victory in the 1898 Lancashire Cup and by the turn of the 20th century they were in deep financial trouble. The club's financial problems were so severe that by February 1902 they were in receivership with debts of �2,670. The club was saved by a group of four men who each injected �500 into it, leading the consortium was Manchester brewer J.H Davies.

Until 1893 Newton Heath played at a spartan ground in Monsall Road, Newton Heath, before relocating to a better-equipped stadium at Bank Street, Clayton. Manchester United is born Following the takeover by J.H Davies, the club's finances had been secured and the new owners decided to change Newton Heath's name to Manchester United. The First Great United Side Davies appointed Ernest Magnall as team manager in 1903 and the club began to move forward, winning promotion to the First Division in 1906, the league title in 1908 and the FA Cup in 1909. Davies helped pay for a new stadium in 1910, located in the Stretford area. It was named Old Trafford and was capable of holding more than 70,000 supporters as well as having top class facilities for players and spectators alike. United marked their first full season in their new home by lifting another league title in 1911. This was to be their last major honour for many years. Their manager Ernest Magnall joined Manchester City, and from then on the club drifted like a boat without a rudder.

The Interwar Years Successive managers, including Herbert Bamlett, John Chapman and Scott Duncan, attempted to put Manchester United back on course. But still the club bounced from First to Second Division and back again, perhaps uncertain as to their rightful place. Added to this, money was again a problem. J.H Davies died in 1927 to be succeeded by James Gibson. He too injected cash into the club and fought off the creditors. By 1938, Manchester United were back in the Second Division but their debt now amounted to more than �70,000. Old Trafford is Bombed First-class football was suspended for the duration of the Second World War (1939-45), but Manchester United continued to compete in part-time regional competitions. Old Trafford was severely damaged during a German air-raid on Manchester in the early hours of 11th March 1941. It took eight years to build and until 1949 United ground-shared with neighbouring Manchester City at Maine Road. Matt Busby When the war ended in 1945, 36-year-old Matt Busby was named as the club's new manager.

He had just finished his playing career which had seen him turn out for Manchester City and Liverpool as well as the Scottish national side. Busby had a limited transfer budget so many of his players were home-grown. The only major signing of the post-war years was Scottish winger Jimmy Delaney from Celtic, while several players remained from the immediate pre-war years. The Great Post-War United side Matt Busby helped end Manchester United's 37-year wait for a major trophy when his side defeated Blackpool (then a big club containing world class players like Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen) 4-2 in the 1948 FA Cup final. Busby had unearthed new stars in the shape of captain Johnny Carey and the forward-line of John Downie, John Aston, Jack Rowley and Stan Pearson. The side's good progress continued into the 1950's and they won the league title in 1952�the club's first league championship in 41 years. By 1952, the side captained by Johnny Carey was beginning to show its age and a new set of players had to be found.

The Busby Babes Matt Busby took a radically different direction to other clubs when rebuilding his ageing team. Rather than splash out huge sums of money on world-renown players, he recruited teenage players who had just left school. In the space of five years, he only made two major signings - winger John Berry from Birmingham and striker Tommy Taylor from Barnsley. Home-grown youngesters like Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, Duncan Edwards, Albert Scanlon, Mark Jones and Bill Foulkes established themself as regular first team players at a very early age and the policy paid off as United maintained their reputation as a strong team. Manchester United won the league championship in 1955-56 thanks to the efforts of a team whose average age was just 22 years. They were England's first representatives in the European Cup, and reached the quarter finals where they were knocked out by the great Spaniards of Real Madrid. United retained the league title in 1956-57 but lost out on a domestic double by losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in the F.A Cup final.

The Munich Air Disaster On 6th February 1958, Manchester United were flying home from Yugoslavia where they had beaten Red Star Belgrade to reach the European Cup semi finals. The plane stopped to refuel at Munich, West Germany, and on take-off it overshot the runway and crashed into the snow. Seven players (Roger Byrne, Geoff Bent, Mark Jones, Eddie Colman, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Bill Whelan) and three club officials (secretary Walter Crickmer and coaches Tom Curry and Bert Whalley) were killed instantly. Eight journalists (including the former Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift), a friend of Matt Busby named Willie Satinoff, a member of the crew and a travel agent also died at the scene. 21 people lost their lives that day. An eighth player, the great 21-year-old wing-half Duncan Edwards, died in hospital from his injuries two weeks later, as did co-pilot Ken Rayment, bringing the death toll to 23. Jackie Blanchflower and John Berry were injured to such an extent that their playing careers were over. Matt Busby himself was in hospital for two months recovering from multiple injuries.

While Busby recovered in hospital, his assistant Jimmy Murphy took temporary charge of team affairs and guided United to the FA Cup final, where a side made up of Munich survivors and youth team players lost to Bolton Wanderers. The Great 1960's Team Matt Busby spent heavily on new players in the five years that followed the Munich Air Disaster, as well as retaining some players from the pre-Munich era. The likes of David Herd, Denis Law, Albert Quixall and Paddy Crerand helped United beat Leicester City 2-1 in the F.A Cup final in 1963. Bobby Charlton, Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg were the only three pre-Munich players left in the side by that date. In the 1963-64 season a 17-year-old Northern Irish forward called George Best broke into the first time and quickly became one of the most exciting talents in the footballing world. United won the league championship in 1965 and regained it two years later, but the pinnacle of Matt Busby's reign came in 1968 when United hammered Benfica 4-1 in the European Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

Busby received a knighthood while star player George Best was voted European Footballer of the Year. Busby retired in 1969 and became a director. He handed over the reins to reserve team manager Wilf McGuinness, whose playing career had been ended a decade earlier by a broken leg. The Early 1970's Decline Wilf McGuinness was sacked in December 1970 after just 18 months in charge of a Manchester United team whose league fortunes had plummeted. Bobby Charlton and Denis Law were approaching the end of their careers while George Best was constantly missing training and sometimes even matches after heavy drinking sessions in nightclubs. Busby returned to the manager's seat on a temporary basis until the appointment of Frank O'Farrell, who had been sacked by December 1972 as United hovered just above the First Division relegation zone. His successor was the Scottish national coach Tommy Docherty, who was unable to save United from relegation at the end of the 1973-74 season.

Their fate was ironically sealed by a 1-0 defeat at home to neighbours Manchester City, with the only goal of the game coming from former United striker Dennis Law - who retired days afterwards. By this stage, long-serving legendary players like Bobby Charlton and Bill Foulkes had retired and troublesome striker George Best had been sacked. The 1977 FA Cup victory Tommy Docherty got Manchester United back into the First Division at the first time of asking, as they won the Second Division championship at the end of the 1974-75 season. They lost the 1976 F.A. Cup final to Southampton but overcame Liverpool the following year to secure their first major trophy in the post-Busby era. The new-look Manchester United side contained impressive young players like Steve Coppell, Brian Greenhoff, Jimmy Greenhoff, Arthur Albiston and Stewart Pearson. Docherty was sacked just weeks after the 1977 FA Cup victory for having an affair with the wife of the club's physiotherapist.

The Dave Sexton Era Q.P.R manager Dave Sexton was the Manchester United director's choice for Docherty's replacement, and spent four years trying to mount a title challenge - coming agonisingly close in 1980 by finishing runners-up to Liverpool. But he was finally sacked in the summer of 1981 after four seasons at the helm had failed to deliver a major trophy. The Ron Atkinson Era Dave Sexton's replacement was the colourful West Bromwich Albion manager Ron Atkinson. Atkinson spent heavily in his quest to bring success to United, paying large sums of money for players like Bryan Robson, Remi Moses, Frank Stapleton and Gordon Strachan. This impressive set of players gave United FA Cup success over Brighton in 1983 and Everton in 1985, but failed to gain a league title. Atkinson was finally sacked in November 1986 as United were struggling near the foot of the First Division. The Alex Ferguson Era The Transition Alex Ferguson, who had achieved huge success with Aberdeen in Scotland, was named as Atkinson's successor and guided United to a mid table finish.

They even managed to win an away game, beating Liverpool at Anfield and helping crush the Merseysiders' title challenge. During the close season Ferguson made expensive new signings including Viv Anderson, Steve Bruce and Brian McClair. The new players had a positive effect on a United side who finished league runners-up in the 1987-88 season, although they were nine points behind champions Liverpool. After the end of the season, striker Mark Hughes returned to United after two unsuccessful years with Barcelona in Spain. United were hopeful of mounting another title challenge in 1988-89, but their season wallowed away following the turn of 1989 and they finished 11th in the final table - behind weaker and less expensively assembled sides like Coventry City and Norwich City. The addition of Neil Webb, Paul Ince and Gary Pallister in the 1989 close season was seen as vital for Alex Ferguson's hopes of mounting a serious title challenge. F.A Cup and Cup Winners Cup success Manchester United had a difficult season in 1989-90, finishing 13th in the league - their lowest finish since relegation in 1974.

Fans were calling for Alex Ferguson to be sacked but the club's board stood by the manager and were rewarded with an F.A Cup final victory over Crystal Palace, managed by former United player Steve Coppell. 1990-91 saw United progress further, although a lack of league consistency saw them finish sixth in the First Division. They lost to Second Division Sheffield Wednesday, managed by former United manager Ron Atkinson, in the League Cup final. But the season ended on a high note when United marked the return of English clubs to European football (following the ban arising from the Heysel Disaster) by beating Barcelona 2-1 in the Cup Winners Cup final in Rotterdam. Nearly but not quite Manchester United won a major trophy in 1991-92, making it three successive trophy-winning seasons in a row. They defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 in the League Cup final. Another bright spot of the season was the emergence of the extremely talented 18-year-old Welsh winger Ryan Giggs. But the season ended in disappointment when they were overhauled by Leeds United in the race for the last ever Football League Championship before the creation of the F.A Premier League.

Champions at Last Manchester United had a mixed first few months in the Premier League, slipping up and down the top ten of the 22-club division. But the acquisition of Eric Cantona, the Frenchman who had helped Leeds win the previous season's title, in late November helped United improve their league form and cruise to the league title after a 26-year wait. Young winger Ryan Giggs was voted PFA Young Player of the Year for the second running. After the season was over, United paid an English record fee of �3.75million for Nottingham Forest's 22-year-old Irish midfielder Roy Keane. Alex Ferguson saw keen as a long-term replacement for the ageing Bryan Robson, who would remain at Old Trafford for one more season before leaving to become player-manager of Middlesbrough. The Double Manchester United led the 1993-94 Premiership table virtually all season long, with Eric Cantona scoring 25 goals in all competitions and the likes of Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs and Lee Sharpe providing their own fair share of goals.

United finished as champions with a seven-point gap over runners-up Blackburn and completed the double by beating Chelsea 4-0 in the F.A Cup final. Eric Cantona, who scored two penalties in the final at Wembley, was voted PFA Player of the Year. 1994-95 The 1994-95 season rarely saw Manchester United out of the headlines, although they were not always the sort of headlines the club wanted. Eric Cantona was banned for 8 months and ordered to serve 120 hours' community service for kicking a Crystal Palace supporter who had taunted him after being sent off in a January fixture at Selhurst Park. United were also without players like Paul Parker, Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis for long periods of time due to injury. On a brighter note, United broke the English transfer record again by paying �7million for Newcastle United's free-scoring striker Andy Cole. He had been signed just two weeks before the Cantona incident as an eventual replacement for Mark Hughes, but with Cantona suspended it was Hughes who ended up being Cole's partner for the rest of the season.

United almost made it three Premiership titles in a row, but just couldn't get the better of West Ham United who held them to a 1-1 away draw on the final day of the season. The disappointment was made all the more frustrating because champions Blackburn had lost their final game of the season to Liverpool (the former club of manager Kenny Dalglish) and a victory for United would have seen Alex Ferguson's side win the title. The F.A Cup also slipped out of United's grasp when they lost 1-0 to unfancied Everton in the final at Wembley. This left United without a major trophy for the first time since 1989. The Double Double Before the 1995-96 season began, United announced the sale of three of their star players - Paul Ince to Inter Milan, Mark Hughes to Chelsea and Andrei Kanchelskis to Everton - for a combined fee of �14million.

Alex Ferguson was expected to splash out a large sum of money on a world class player - Roberto Baggio, Marc Overmars, Darren Anderton, David Platt (who had been a United youth player in the mid 1980's) and Paul Gascoigne (who had snubbed the club in favour of Tottenham in 1988) were all linked with moves to United. But United began the season without a major signing and a side made up of young players like David Beckham (20), Gary Neville (20), Phil Neville (18), Paul Scholes (21) and Nicky Butt (20) lost 3-1 at Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. Many pundits wrote United's title chances off and expected big spending clubs like Newcastle, Liverpool and Arsenal to win the season's honours. Alex Ferguson was defiant of the critics, and following the return of Eric Cantona in early October, United went into overdrive. They chased Newcastle United for the top-of-the-table position and didn't give up hope even when trailing Kevin Keegan's side by 10 points at Christmas.

United finally went top of the Premiership in mid March, shortly after beating Newcastle at St James's Park, and their title success was confirmed with a 3-0 away win at Bryan Robson's Middlesbrough on the final day of the season. A week later United beat Liverpool 1-0 in the F.A Cup final to become the first ever English club to win the league title/F.A Cup double twice. Eric Cantona, who scored 19 goals in 1995-96 (including the F.A Cup final winner), was voted Footballer of the Year by football journalists who were impressed at the way he had returned from his suspension. Cantona was made team captain following the departure of veteran Steve Bruce to Birmingham City. 1995-96 was one of the most successful seasons in the history of Manchester United football club, and the success was perhaps made even sweeter by the fact that so many people had written the club's chances off almost before the season began.

More success Manchester United won their fourth Premiership title in five seasons in 1996-97, with little-known Norweigan striker Ole Solskjaer forcing his way into the side after his �1.5million move from FK Molde and scoring 19 goals in all competitions. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Gary Neville all had an impressive seasons while Eric Cantona and Andy Cole both fell below their expected standards. The club's most expensive acquisition in the summer of 1996 had been Karel Poborsky, the 23-year-old Czech winger signed from Slavia Prague for �3.5million. But he was unable to claim the right-wing position from the brilliant young David Beckham and eventually moved to Benfica. At the end of the season, Eric Cantona sent shockwaves throughout the footballing world by announcing his retirement from football just a few days before his 31st birthday. Cantona explained his relatively early retirement by saying that he wanted to retire while still at his peak, and not wallow away into mediocrity.

He was replaced by the respected England international Teddy Sheringham, a �3.5million signing from Tottenham who was initially disappointing but would later start to repay his fee in style. The 1997-98 season saw Manchester United overhauled by Arsenal in the Premiership and finish empty-handed for only the second time in the 1990's. Shortly after this disappointment, Alex Ferguson went on a spending spree of �28.35million (twice breaking the club's transfer record) by signing Dutch defender Jaap Stam from PSV, Trinidadian striker Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa and Swedish winger Jesper Blomqvist from Parma. He was determined to avoid disappointment in 1998-99, although even he could surely not have predicted just how successful United would be. The Treble Manchester United won their final game of the 1998-99 season to ensure that they, and not Arsenal, would be Premiership champions.

A week later they completed a unique third championship/F.A Cup double by beating Newcastle United 2-0, and four days after the F.A Cup success they took on Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, Barcelona, in the Champions League (European Cup) final. Mario Basler's early strike appeared to have won it for the Germans as they led 1-0 after 90 minutes, but the referee allowed 3 minutes of injury time. Teddy Sheringham appeared to have forced extra time when he fired in an equaliser within the first minute of extra time, but Ole Solskjaer scored the winner and made history with the last kick of the game. Manchester United became the first English team to win the championship/F.A Cup/European Cup treble. Alex Ferguson was later awarded a knighthood for his contribution to United's success. Into the New Millennium The new millennium has seen Sir Alex Ferguson's side land more silverware, although they have faced some stiff competition off other teams - first Arsenal and now Chelsea. Many players have come and gone.

Since the 1999 treble success, Peter Schmeichel, Denis Irwin, Ronny Johnsen, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke have all left to be replaced by a new generation of players including Tim Howard, Roy Carroll, Rio Ferdinand, Gabriel Heinze, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney. Other expensive players like Fabien Barthez and Juan Sebastian Veron have arrived and left within the space of a few seasons. United won the Premiership title in 1999-2000 with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and just three league defeats all season. They won their third successive title the following season, making United the fourth team to achieve that success and Sir Alex Ferguson the first manager to stay in charge of any team thoughout a championship hat-trick. Sir Alex Ferguson had intended to retire at the end of 2001-02, but then decided to postpone his retirement by at least three seasons.

This uncertainty could not have helped United's playing fortunes after a disastrous run of six defeats in seven Premiership fixtures earlier in the season counted against United and they finished third in the table - the first time they had been out of the top two since 1991. United won another Premiership title in 2002-03, overhauling Arsenal to secure their eigth title in 11 seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson even described this success as his greatest achievement since becoming United manager in 1986. But the sale of David Beckham and the suspension of Rio Ferdinand (for a total of 8 months, including the final 4 months of the season) sabotaged United's title challenge in 2003-04 and they finished third in the Premiership, which was won by unbeaten Arsenal. United were knocked out of the Champions League by FC Porto and the League Cup by Aston Villa, but they salvaged some success by beating Millwall 3-0 in the F.A Cup final. To date, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in English football.

He has so far won eight Premiership titles, five F.A Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup, one Cup Winners Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and seven charity shields (one shared) - 24 trophies in all. He had expressed a desire to continue in his job for a good few years yet, and there is surely more to come. He may even help United emulate Liverpool's record as winning the most trophies than any other English football club.

Manchester United FC Honours, Trophies & Awards League Championships: 15 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965, 1967, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 FA Cups: 11 1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004 League Cup: 1 UEFA Champions League Championships: 2 1967-68, 4-1 vs Benfica 1998-99, 2-1 vs FC Bayern M.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1 1991 1991 FA Charity Shield/Community Shields: 15 1908, 1911, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1965*, 1967*, 1977*, 1983, 1990*, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003 (*as joint holders) BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award 1968 & 1999 History by Decade History By Decade 1878-1909 Manchester United Football Club was first formed in 1878, albeit under a different name - Newton Heath LYR (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway). Little suspecting the impact they were about to have on the national, even global game, the workers in the railway yard at Newton Heath indulged their passion for association football with games against other departments of the LYR or other railway companies.

Indeed, when the Football League was formed in 1888, Newton Heath did not consider themselves good enough to become founder members alongside the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End. They waited instead until 1892 to make their entrance. Financial problems plagued Newton Heath, and by the start of the twentieth century it seemed they were destined for extinction. The club was saved, however, by a local brewery owner, John Henry Davies. Legend has it that he learned of the club's plight when he found a dog belonging to Newton Heath captain Harry Stafford. Davies decided to invest in Newton Heath, in return for some interest in running it. This led to a change of name and, after several alternatives including Manchester Central and Manchester Celtic were rejected, Manchester United was born in April/May 1902. The next influential figure to arrive at United was Ernest Mangnall, who was appointed secretary in September 1903 but is widely acknowledged as being the club's first manager. His side, including new signings like goalkeeper Harry Moger and forward Charlie Sagar, finished third in the Second Division in 1903/04 and again in 1904/05.

The following season, 1905/06, was to prove one of the greatest in the early life of Manchester United. The half-back line of Dick Duckworth, Alex Bell and captain Charlie Roberts were instrumental in the side which reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, but more importantly finished as runners-up in the Second Division. Twelve years after being relegated, United reclaimed their place in the top flight. To celebrate, Mangnall signed Billy Meredith from rivals Manchester City. Nicknamed the Welsh Wizard, Meredith had been implicated in a bribery scandal at City, and was due to be auctioned along with 17 other players. Mangnall made his move early, and acquired Meredith's signature before the bidding began. The winger's arrival proved to be inspirational - Meredith set up countless goals for Sandy Turnbull in 1907/08 when United won the Football League Championship for the first time. As champions, United played in the first-ever Charity Shield in 1908. They duly won the trophy, beating Southern League champions QPR 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Sandy's namesake, Jimmy Turnbull.

The third trophy to be added to the club's honours board was the FA Cup, at the end of a tremendous run in 1909. United beat Bristol City 1-0 in the final, thanks to Sandy Turnbull's goal. Newton Heath LYR Football Club | soccersjerseys Newton Heath LYR Football Club July 23, 2011 2 Comments Long History of Manchester United FC Executive Summary about Newton Heath LYR Football Club by BBC UK Newton Heath LYR, or ‘The Heathens’, was the name of Manchester United Football Club when it was first founded. The LYR stood for Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and was added to distinguish this club from Newton Heath Loco (who were part of the Motive Power Division of the company). The team played on a ground close to the railway yard in North Road. Here they played matches against other departments or other railway companies. Newton Heath played in shirts that were half gold and half green (It’s different with Manchester United away Shirt ) and was run by the Dining Room Committee of the Carriage and Wagon Works.

The Football League In 1888, the Football League was formed, but the players of Newton Heath did not think they were good enough to join and compete with established teams such as Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End. However, in that same year, the team did not lose a single home game until October (when they were beaten by a Canadian side). In 1890, Newton Heath, looking for more challenging opposition, applied for membership of the Football League. Newton Heath was not deterred by this and instead joined an organization called the Football Alliance. Newton Heath began to sever their links with the railway company and the letters ‘LYR’ were dropped from their title. The club appointed its first full-time official, AH Albut. Newton Heath set out to impress the League and finished as runners-up in the 1891-2 season. Newton Heath joined the First Division, and local rivals Ardwick, joined the Second Division. The club finished at the bottom of the table, having conceded 85 goals and managed only 18 themselves. However, they remained in Division One after beating Small Heath in a ‘test match’. The club moved across Manchester to a ground at Bank Street, Clayton.

The article claimed that Newton Heath had been using brutal methods to win matches and the Football Association needed to deal with the matter. The year after, as Newton Heath fought for survival, the Manchester Civil Court judge granted the team one farthing in damages, and ordered that both parties must pay their own costs. Second Division That same year, after losing a play-off match against Liverpool, the club was relegated to the Second Division. In 1897, Newton Heath managed to make it to the play-offs, but this was as far as they managed to get. The following season, local rivals Manchester City leapfrogged them and were promoted to Division One. Morale within the club began to fall as their game worsened and attendance at their matches dropped. Manchester United – A New Era Newton Heath soon found itself facing serious financial problems. In 1902, Newton Heath’s President, William Healey, took them to court to apply for their compulsory winding up. Their savior came in the shape of Harry Stafford, the full-back and captain of the team. He began to fundraiser, organizing such things as the selling of Heathen shares for £1, and a ‘Grand Bazaar’.

John Henry Davies went on to become president of Newton Heath and was later to invest £60,000 in the building of their new ground, Old Trafford. Newton Heath had been saved by this fundraising and was entering a new era. After ideas such as ‘Manchester Celtic’ and ‘Manchester Central’ were rejected, it was decided that the new name would be ‘Manchester United’. Now, Manchester United Soccer Jersey s is Red and White. Share this:

Question: Which soccer club began life as Newton Heath ?
Answer: Manchester United